ATS officials say that investigations have also revealed that Batterywallah had been recruited three years back by serial train blast accused Mohammed Ali Sheikh and was sent in May 2003 for 26 days of terror training at a camp at Bahawalpur in Pakistan. Officials are now investigating as to how much Batterywallah knew about the July 11 serial train blasts conspiracy.

It was at Ali’s house that the bombs in the train blasts were manufactured, claims ATS. “Ali had selected Nafeez Ansari for terror training and had sent him with Batterywallah. Finance for their travel and training were arranged by two men identified as Riaz Bhatkar, an engineer from Karnataka, and Tarique Sattar. We are searching for both these men,” said a crime branch officer.

On May 7, three days before the arms landing at Aurangabad, Batterywallah and 12 other SIMI activists attended Huda’s wedding in Malegaon. Five of these SIMI members have already been arrested in the Aurangabad arms haul case. “Shabbir attended the wedding along with SIMI activists Iftiyar, Akeel, Iklaq, Dr. Salman Farsi, Khaled, Munawwar, Safdar Bhai, Riyaz alias Raju, Mushtaq, Javed, Afzal and Dr. Sharif. The last five men have been arrested. After the wedding, Farsi and Safdar stood up and started delivering speeches on jehad and spoke of a large consignment of arms that would reach Malegaon. They talked of doing something big in the area. Shabbir also knows Kagzi and Zaibuddin Ansari,” said a senior crime branch official.

During questioning, Batterywallah told police that while Kagzi could not attend the wedding as he was to leave for Iran on May 9 for a month and was busy preparing for the trip, Ansari was making arrangements for landing and transport of the arms and explosives which were to be delivered near Pipargaon on the Nashik-Mumbai highway.

... contd.